Mt. Juliet named ‘city on the rise’

Mt. Juliet was recently named a “city on the rise” by economic research website NerdWallet.

City Manager Kenny Martin said Tuesday “it’s very exciting” to have been named the fourth-fastest-growing city in terms of jobs, income and population.

Mt. Juliet ranks behind Kingsport, Franklin and Oak Ridge, respectively. Nerd Wallet’s website defines a city on the rise as those with “innovation, robust population growth and rebounding job markets.”

Mt. Juliet “saw a staggering 23 percent increase in its working-age population. Almost 4,000 adults ages 16 and older moved to Mt. Juliet from 2009-12,” according to census data analyzed by NerdWallet.”

In addition to jobs in Nashville, Mt. Juliet residents work in the more than 1,150 businesses in the city, and they also open an average of 180 new businesses each year, according to city economic development officials. People are also attracted to Mt. Juliet’s ever-growing supply of newly constructed homes, according to the NerdWallet report.

Mt. Juliet’s ranking included a 10.1-percent growth in median income. By comparison, top-ranked Kingsport showed a 14.3 percent increase in working-age population, but held the advantage in median income growth at 16.2 percent.